TOPIC: The Great - When is 35mm Film gone- bet

35mm will be obsolete. Eventually. I don't think anybody is arguing that point anymore.
However, there seems to be a disagreement (VPF & Bob for example) about when exactly it is gone.
Sounded like a gambling opportunity for me.
So here is my proposal:
Everyone guesses when the last of the majors stops making 35mm films. The person closest to the actual date wins. Bet is $10.00 and all winnings will be donated to a charity of the winners choice. No political or church organizations!
My guess is the 8/31/2014 and my charity is the Will Rodgers Foundation.

While that question would be fun to guess, I do not believe it helps regarding when does a small theater feel the effect. For example: what if 2 studios decide to stop making film prints available 6 mos before the last studio makes that the decision you ask? Is that possible? Would that effect a theater's business? I can see Universal or Sony or Fox being the first ones to do that while Warner Bros would go much longer. I can't argue with your guess here at all. Which would be 2 more years and you could say Bob is right.

BUT, how practical is that question for the smaller theaters?

How about the month when 50% of the top 10 movies were only digital? This past February saw 8 movies open with more than 2800 locations and all did over $50 million. I believe this scenario could happen a year + before the question you ask. I believe that will next year. Would that effect the small theaters?

Or even more likely: the same scenario as above but 100 or so prints are made for the uninformed big grossers like Mike mentioned. You gross $200k per screen per year sure you get the movie. But how about the $35-50k per screen grossers? Folks like Roxy will still get that print eventually. That will happen in the first quarter of 2013. Would that effect the small theaters?

To me the question needs to be when will a theater in the 3000+ range will have problems opening a movie on the break that it has been accustomed to playing. That is a more important question and harder to measure.

great idea and needs more thought.... here would be a big indicator: if you could not open batman or Spriderman or Brave because they were all digital? Or do we pick 10 theatres and when they cannot get a print? Anyway.. I am in. Still need a true yardstick to be clear.

great idea and needs more thought.... here would be a big indicator: if you could not open batman or Spriderman or Brave because they were all digital? Or do we pick 10 theatres and when they cannot get a print? Anyway.. I am in. Still need a true yardstick to be clear.

Those types of movies will be available in summer of 2014 I bet, as well as the big holiday movies in 2014. But what if that is the only thing you can get on the break if you are a 3500+ location theater? Can a theater survive by only playing the top 10 movies in any given year? Can you just close up Jan-April & Sept -Mid November?

Way to turn a light hearted attempt to raise some money for charity into a discussion .

Ok, this is now:
The Great - When is 35mm Film gone for everybody that doesn't earn enough money to justify a print, long after it is financially feasible for small theater to run 35mm - bet
same rules as above. Come on guys it's for charity...